Changes
by Shadow Walker1
Summary: The impact of Ouroboros takes a toll on the crew and changes are made to lead to the Perfect Furture that Trance has wished for. T/B.
1. Beka

Obs Deck  
  
Beka  
  
I stand here looking out into the stars, wondering the life that Trance left behind to save Harper. I know very few things in life. I do know I don't like the way I looked in the future. I don't know whom the child was calling my older self, but I doubt that Trance will tell me. I do know I am strong on the outside and weak on the inside. I don't normally do commitment. I am, however, interested in finding out if maybe I can be happy and loved before I become that future self.  
  
I think of my prospects. Dylan, still in love with Sara and has Rommie to love when him realizes it. Harper, I think the New Trance would kill me in an instant if I stood in her way. Tyr, if only he wasn't too Nietszchean for me. The whole multiple wives thing kills any real feelings I have for him. The string of one-night stands from one side of the known galaxy to the other is not right either. I will just have to keep on looking.  
  
I pause to look at the stars once again and go about my next shift on the Command Deck.  
  
I walk slowly towards the Command Deck. It is early morning so no one is up yet except Tyr and Rommie. I don't think she ever takes a break for herself.  
  
"Anything interesting happen Tyr," I ask as I enter the Command Deck.  
  
"No," he says and leaves.  
  
"What is up with him?" I ask Rommie.  
  
"He has been grumpy since the Tesseract Device incident," Rommie informed me.  
  
"That was a week ago and I am just now noticing it?" I asked her.  
  
"I hate to say it Beka but we have all been distracted by what we saw. I saw some situations that are best left unsaid and to be enjoyed when the occasion arises. I am going to check on Harper," she said and left.  
  
She didn't even give me an option of commenting. It gave me a lot to think about. Everyone had experienced something during that time or times depending on your point of view. 


	2. Tyr

Crew Quarters  
  
Tyr  
  
I sit here trying to read about the history of the next Pride we are going to visit. I believe that the Wolf Pride is my best bet for a new Pride. However, I find myself confused on whether or not I want to join. My experience with the Tesseract Device has humbled me and changed my perspective on my goals.  
  
I want to join a Pride and secure my place in the future with many wives and hundreds of children. I also want to be an alpha and unite the Prides with the remains I have secured as is due my linage. This is what most Nietszchean's want. It is what I have wanted for all my life until now.  
  
The Tesseract Device has showed me a future that I am unhappy with. I met with myself for a few moments between the Kalderans and the Magog. It was unusual to say the least.  
  
"What the Fack?" I said as I ran literally into myself.  
  
"You, what is the date?" the other me asked. I looked him over. Not much had changed except the hair which was now gone and the scars that ran all over the exposed parts of his body.  
  
I told him and he smiled in a way that I didn't think I would ever be grateful enough to smile and he growled in appreciation of his situation.  
  
"Listen to me boy," he began, "do not give in to your upbringing. It will damage us greatly. Give in to your heart. Join with Beka and soon before it all falls apart. She is the key to uniting the Prides. Don't ask me how. You will figure it out. You will take one other mate. You will know which one I speak if you join with Beka first. This is your future if you don't."  
  
I was astonished at what he said. Then I heard the swarm ships attacking the ship.  
  
"Go now!" he ordered and ran off toward the Magog that were boarding the ship.  
  
I picked myself up and moved hoping I was heading the right way to the Machine Shop.  
  
I laid the book down and decided to head for the gym. Maybe the answers would come in the sweat of labor. 


	3. Rommie

Machine Shop 5  
  
Rommie  
  
I often wonder what emotions are good for. I have them and use them. I just don't know what to do with them. I have loved and lived an avatars life. I want more from it but I can never be human. I don't know how human I am. I know Harper made me just like a human but just how human I don't know.  
  
I wonder if it really matters. I mean do I need emotions? I will never have companionship. I am destined to be alone for all time. I just hope I do not end up insane.  
  
I love Dylan. I have known that since I saw him. It is against everything I believe in, against the regulations and against my personal code. I have denied it for years or centuries depending on your point of view. I cannot let my feelings out. I cannot let my feelings affect my judgment.  
  
I look at my hands and notice all the imperfections Harper made in me. I look at my body and wonder what he was thinking when he made me. Did he make me into a companion for him? Maybe in the beginning, but not now. Did he make me into a being that can be loved and return love? I don't think I could ever know. It would be interesting to find out.  
  
I looked in on Harper from my internal sensors. He was waking up. Maybe he would like a visit. I walked slowly gathering my questions for him. 


	4. Harper

Crew Quarters  
  
Harper  
  
Trance was after me. She wouldn't leave me alone. I am running but she is too fast. She is going to...  
  
Harper sat up and wiped his face with his hand. He couldn't believe the dreams he had been having. The whole new Trance thing really had him going. He wasn't sure what to think about her. She wasn't his little purple girl no more.  
  
He got up and went into the bathroom to rinse his face off and to wash away the dream that had been plaguing him for the last week.  
  
He walked back into his room and Rommie was waiting for him.  
  
"Hey, Rom doll. Whom do I thank for getting you in my room this time in the morning?" he asked as he sat down on his bed. He took in her look and realized that something was troubling her. She was sitting in his chair with her elbows on her knees. She never did that.  
  
"Harper, I have some questions for you about how you made me and why?" she asked straightening up in her chair.  
  
"Let me guess. This whole Tesseract thing has you going a mile a minute too," he said and waited for her nod. "Ok, this is how it works. You are about as human as you can get without being born. You can't have children but that is about it. Everything else is as close as it gets."  
  
Harper pulled out some clothes to wear while it sank in to Rommie what he had said. He turned to her and found that she was smiling.  
  
She looked up to him. "Thanks Harper. You are the best engineer."  
  
She got up and kissed him. She left his room with a smile on her face and a spring in her step.  
  
"Now if only I could make my life as happy as I made hers," he said getting dressed. Maybe he would give Trance another chance. After all, I did change when I got the library. Hopefully, she will still be a good Trance. 


	5. Trance

Hydroponics  
  
Trance  
  
Trance walked around watering her plants. She was just happy that she had her plants back. It had been so long since she had even see a plant. It amazed her how naive she was back at this time. It was amazing they survived as long as they did. She couldn't blame Dylan though. It wasn't only his fault that everything was wrong.  
  
She sat down next to the fountain and watched the water flowing. It was the little things that made the difference and that was definitely true in everything we do.  
  
She knew that no one was comfortable with her anymore except maybe Tyr. He was the only one, probably because he saw her as a benefit to his survival. She heard the door open. She knew it was Harper before she saw him. She didn't think it was wise to tell anyone of her heightened abilities.  
  
"Hey Trance," Harper said sheepishly, as he approached her.  
  
"Harper," she said, putting her hands in her lap. She looked up at him. She saw he was trying to make peace with him.  
  
"When would you have changed if you would have stayed your other self?" he asked.  
  
"In three months. It saves a lot of time though. It would have taken me two weeks for the change to occur," she said as she leaned back, propping herself up with her hands.  
  
"Why's that?" he asked.  
  
"The way I would have changed takes a while," she said and got up. She walked around her plants.  
  
"Why did you stay?" he asked. He already knew what Beka had told him but he wanted to hear it from her.  
  
"I stayed because of the Perfect Future that I need to attain and you," she said. The `and you' was softer and quieter than the rest.  
  
"Fine," he said and walked off.  
  
She smiled. She knew he wanted to trust her. He wanted to let her back in. She knew it would only be time. 


	6. Dylan

Gym  
  
Dylan  
  
The nightmares were back. He couldn't understand why he had them. It always came down to his new crew failing him. He knew they never would but he still dreamt of it. He was worried about Trance. She was always a mystery for him but now even more so.  
  
He was more worried that none of the crew could work effectively with her. It would be a waste if things went down badly because of it.  
  
He decided to go do a light workout before his shift started.  
  
He had been half-heartedly working out when Tyr walked in. Dylan wasn't sure if he wanted the company or not. From the look on Tyr's face he wasn't sure he wanted to be in his company.  
  
"Couldn't sleep?" Dylan asked, cautiously.  
  
"No, Ship," Tyr called.  
  
Holo Rommie showed up, "Yes, Tyr?" She knew he wanted her to spot for him.  
  
"Could you have your Avatar come down here to spot me?" he asked angrily.  
  
"Sure, I should be there in a few moments," she said and blinked out.  
  
"What is going on?" Dylan asked. He knew that Tyr had been on edge and now he was positive that he was on the edge.  
  
"None of your business," Tyr growled and loaded up the weight bench.  
  
Dylan could see that he was overloading it, which is why he was having Rommie coming to spot him. There was no way he could help Tyr if he got into trouble.  
  
Rommie walked in and he saw her eyes when she saw how much weight he was piling on. She looked to Dylan to figure out what to do.  
  
"Tyr, could I borrow Rommie for a minute before you two start working out?" he asked.  
  
"Fine, make it quick," Tyr said sitting down on the bench.  
  
Rommie and Dylan walked out into the hall. "Is this how much weight he usually lifts when you two work out?"  
  
"No, it is at least fifty pounds more than normal," she said concerned for her friend. She was surprised to find out that Dylan was in the gym versus his quarters sleeping but it wasn't unusual. It was a little annoying that Tyr wanted her help when she wanted to figure out other things.  
  
"Go and I will deal with Tyr," Dylan instructed her.  
  
"I will be on the Command Deck with Beka," she said and left.  
  
Dylan steeled himself for Try's wrath. He walked into the gym and immediately Tyr noticed that Rommie wasn't with him.  
  
Tyr knew what was coming next. He felt defeated. They were conspiring against him. They knew he was bad off. They just didn't realize how much.  
  
"Fine, lets go play ball," Tyr told him and walked right by him. Dylan finally knew how bad it was.  
  
He knew that life was going to be bad for a while. He just didn't know how to make it work again. Everyone was changed forever. 


	7. Beka and Tyr: Round One

Author's note: Sorry it took so long but midterms came up and I wasn't prepared. Just in case you were wondering I got a B on my History Midterm.  
  
Beka  
  
Being on the Command Deck, on duty, and the early morning wasn't very interesting. There wasn't much to do especially now that thing had calmed down a bit. I walked toward the view screen and watched the stars go by.  
  
I liked having this shift. It was quiet and everyone else wasn't doing something they were not supposed to be doing. I leaned onto the edge of the view screen and let my mind wander.  
  
I thought of Bobby that had come and gone from my life, more permanently now. It was a good thing. I didn't like controlling boyfriends but I did like it when they were possessive.  
  
I shook my head and went back to my station.  
  
"Rommie, is there anything out there?" I asked her, wanting to get my mind off of my love life.  
  
"No but my avatar should be here soon," her hologram said.  
  
"Fine," I said checking the sensor readings just in case. Nothing to get excited about that was for sure.  
  
Rommie walked onto the Command Deck.  
  
"Oh man the testosterone is high on this ship," she said, walking to her station.  
  
I almost laughed. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Tyr asked if I could spot him. Well, apparently he hasn't gotten over his grumpy mood yet. When I got there he had almost 400 pounds on the weight bar and I did the eye thing with Dylan. He took me into the hall and I told him it was too much. He ordered me back here and went back inside the gym. I hope he is ok, he is. They are playing basketball," Rommie finished. I think if she were human she would have been out of breath.  
  
Hydroponics  
  
Tyr  
  
"So why are you driving everyone on this ship insane?" Dylan asked as Tyr took a shot.  
  
"What do you mean Captain Hunt?" Tyr asked avoiding the question. He took his shot and hit it, of course.  
  
"You haven't been yourself lately."  
  
"I have been contemplating what I saw during the Tesseract incident," Tyr told him, blocking him from Dylan's shot.  
  
Dylan took back the ball and stood there with it under his arm. "I will tell you what I saw if you tell me."  
  
Tyr stood there. 'Was it worth it for someone else to know?' he thought. "Fine."  
  
Dylan led the way to his quarters. When they arrived Dylan got them both a glass of water. They sat down and just stared at each other until they finished their water.  
  
"Ok, since you are not going to start," Dylan started, "I had split up from Rommie. I saw some of my old crewmates. It was painful to see them again and to lose them once more. Well, you met some of them," he said with a smile.  
  
Tyr told him the short version of what he had seen and saw the confused look on Dylan's face that he had seen on himself for the past two weeks. "I am not sure if it is wise to proceed with what my other self told me."  
  
"What do you think of Beka?" Dylan asked him leaning forward.  
  
"I think she is genetically inferior but far more superior than most humans. She can fight and pilot through slipstream at a superior level. I admire her for what she has accomplished," Tyr told him. He felt very uncomfortable. He would never feel comfortable confessing this to anyone. Least of all Dylan.  
  
"Do you feel anything for her or do you want to make her another one of your many wives?" Dylan asked, leaning back into his chair.  
  
"I," Tyr paused. He didn't want to finish this sentence. He didn't want to admit it. "I find her company pleasing." He didn't want to do this anymore. He couldn't admit how he would kill anyone that looked at Beka the wrong way.  
  
"TYR," Dylan shouted.  
  
"What?" Tyr spat back.  
  
"You didn't hear what I said?" Dylan asked.  
  
"No, I didn't. This isn't working. You are still a human and do not understand Nietzschean's. I am leaving," Tyr told him and walked out.  
  
Dylan sat there and just smiled. He did understand. 


End file.
